Bring On the Bling

Bring On the Bling

If you want an instantaneous way to go from rags to riches, let me tell you this secret. Change your point of view.

I know, it’s sappy as all get out, letting a smile be your umbrella kind of thing, but it  works.

When I flip from feeling resenting what I don’t have to appreciating what I do have, I feel good. When I feel good, I see good around me. When I see good around me, I see opportunities. When I see opportunities, and take them, I expand my world, and when I expand my world I get a little more of everything I want.

I love that.

Feeling satisfied with what I have. Recognizing and appreciating my resources. Valuing my possessions, valuing my skills, talents, and gifts, valuing my family, friends, communities, and co-workers.

I love that I love that we have plumbing that can bring me hot water on the top floor.

I love that I know people who, when I feel sad, or stuck, or confused, or lonesome, will help me with open hearts and loving minds and tell me very nicely when I’m being an idiot, not their word.

I love that there are people to help when my car breaks down. I love that I have a car when I need one. I love public transportation. I love that I can walk when I want and where I want.

Are you sensing a pattern here?

When we let ourselves relax into appreciation, the world is so lavish, so deluxe and opulent, that just looking out the window at the view we see each day can fill our hearts.

When I claim and value my resources, something magical starts to happen. I find myself with more resources. I find support in unlikely places. I am offered generous help, and seemingly magical things happen for me with astounding regularity.

Some people call it luck. As you can see, it’s not really luck, it’s all about appreciation, gratitude, openness, awareness, and action.

Why do I appreciate what I have? What makes me thankful? Why do I choose to be aware? How am I open?

By choosing to live a life that is conducive to attracting resources, I will attract resources. When I am grateful and generous, when I value and appreciate, my life gets really nice.

Allowing my life to flow, relaxing into my flowing natural life, I take things in stride with joy and satisfaction. I see all kinds of challenges as opportunities, I find myself choosing to change my old crappy habits and patterns, and I have more fun.

How have I changed from living a scarcity mindset to revelling in my lavish and splendiferous world?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 10152013

Body Love

Body Love

One of the funnest things about being alive is having a body. I mean, I’m all for thinking, and find that a blasteroo, but being present in the body is without compare.

Just think of all the fun you have with your body, just sitting there right now. How awesome is breathing, all the way in, all four lobes, bottom to top, and then whooooosh, out it all goes, over and over, refreshing your whole system with each breath. And that’s just breathing. When I am enjoying an Unlimited Breath session, wowie, breathing is glorious!

Then there is the whole digestive system, starting with eating, ending with satisfying elimination, to be a bit genteel.

And we have to consider how much fun it is to move! Stretching is so nice, and so are walking, and running, and dancing, and qigong, and kung fu, and yoga, and sex, and swimming, and climbing, and all of your favorites.

Scratching itches. Brushing hair. Touching nice textures. Hugs and kisses. Walking on a foggy street, snowflakes on the tongue. What makes me enjoy my luxuries?

Relaxing before going to sleep is the height of luxury. Even relaxing right now, just a quick run through from toes to head is nice. How do I relax?

Oh, yeah, a body is a very lavishly magnificent thing to have. Why am I thrilled with my body?

I get a little sad sometimes thinking about how long it took me to really appreciate my body.

In the dark ages, I punished my body brutally; starving it, cutting, beating, sleep deprivation, correcting and correcting and correcting.

Things happened when I decided to see my body as a luxury, rather than a prison, or chamber of horrors. I was so abusive to my body, if it had been able to, it would have left me.

As I came to enjoy being in my body, I got a little less twinge-y. I stopped using pain-language, and so I don’t suffer with “discomfort” like I did with “pain.”

I spend way more time aware of my being, so things are way more pleasant to experience in general. Walking down the hall at work becomes a bit of an event as I notice moving through my feet, the flex in my ankles and knees, the swing in my hips and shoulders, the sway of my spine, and my breath.

Until we evolve into beings of pure energy, we will have a body. As long as we have a body, we will have a much more enjoyable time if we can find ways to like it, if we stop ourselves when we notice we are not treating it well, if we appreciate, and love our bodies.

Our bodies support us, quite literally. It is our primary life-support. The more we appreciate our bodies, the more we treat them with love and kindness, the nicer it is to live inside them.

How have I changed from seeing my body as the enemy to loving the body I’m in?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 10032013

I Got Satisfaction

I Got Satisfaction

I love to feel satisfied. Satisfied that I’ve done my best, satisfied that it’s good enough. Satisfied that I’m a good person, satisfied with my work, my play, my relationships, satisfied with my qigong practice.

I do occasionally have to remember to let myself go there, to satisfied. I know you will find this surprising, but in the olden days, I was almost never satisfied.

I liked to chalk it up to high standards, but that’s a bunch of hooey.

It had to do with how unsatisfied I was with me.

I spent some time recently going through papers, including a bunch of my old journals. Oy. That poor child was not happy with herself. And hated her job, hated her relationships, not the people, but the relationship, hated hated hated. Nothing was right, good enough, fun enough.

It is very challenging to enjoy anything when we don’t like ourselves. “Why does everything suck?” is a really bad creative question a lot of us ask a lot.

When I don’t like me, I start at a disadvantage. I start out feeling bad, so then I filter for bad, and find it, and so you suck, and my commute sucks, or the vacuum cleaner doesn’t, and I am well off to having a bad day, which I will generously share with everyone I encounter.

Now, I understand that some people enjoy this. I found a quote I think belongs to Woody Allen, “I am happiest at my most miserable.” If you enjoy being miserable, then please, have at it. I will just stand over here. Quietly ignoring your miserable joy.

On the other hand, if you do not enjoy being miserable, change it. Do what you need to do to create the shift. When you start to feel better, amazing things happen. Food is better, fresh air is glorious. Sunshine is wonderful, and shade is a treat.

How have I changed from criticizing me to seeing my value?

As I come to recognize my own value, I start seeing the value in other stuff, including you. I see your good heart, I see your inherent kindness. I see how hard you try. I see your dedication. And I recognize that I can only see the tip of the iceberg, to coin the phrase.

I start to look for more stuff to value, things that are fun or enjoyable, places where I feel good. I start to release stuff that doesn’t feel good, isn’t fun, doesn’t seem valuable to me.

Suddenly, I like weather. It doesn’t seem to matter, I can find things to like about it. Yay, it’s hot! Hooray, it’s cold! Yippee, it’s sleeting!

Suddenly, when you ask me what I want, I know. Or I know how to go inside and find out.

Suddenly, I am hot to find all the silver linings I can, merrily re-framing all my old clouds.

Suddenly, I feel eager to enjoy whatever I may be doing. This is such a strnage change for me, to have nasty tasks and, not only do I not mind doing them, but I may find things about the doing that I actually enjoy.

Growing up is weird and fun.

How have I changed from finding fault to feeling satisfied?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 09132013